Chris Lombardi puts defense and security under the spotlight, as he shares his takes on recent NATO and EU cooperation and provides insight into the company’s own long-term strategic partnerships in Europe.

Three trends are currently driving the global electricity sector: decarbonization, decentralization and differentiation. Utilities are making significant contributions to mitigate carbon emissions, while a technology revolution is …

Poland given last chance to restructure shipyards

The European Commission said on 29 May that Poland must present immediate proposals for “concrete and credible solutions” to restructure three shipyards or repay around €150 million in unlawful state subsidies.

The European executive gave the Polish authorities until 1 June, exactly three years after the launch of an investigation into Poland’s provision of state aid, to deliver plans that would “ensure [the] long-term viability” of the shipyards in Gdynia and Szczecin. They would have a month to present similar plans for the shipyard in Gdansk, the Commission said.

The Polish treasury minister, Aleksander Grad, is expected to fly to Brussels to convince the EU to reconsider their position. Poland’s permanent representation to the European Union would not give any details on the date or nature of the visit, however.

Last summer, Polish dockworkers protested outside the EU head office against plans to close two of Gdansk yard’s three slipways, which, they said, would force more than 1,000 workers – a third of the workforce – into unemployment. In September, one of Ukraine’s largest business groups – the Industrial Union of Donbas – agreed to pay $400 million for the Gdansk shipyard and repay its illegal state aid, but the deal has since fallen through.

The Gdansk shipyard holds symbolic importance in Poland as the birthplace of Solidarnosc, which was the first non-communist trade union in a communist country and whose political power helped lead a weakened Communist government to agree to semi-free elections in 1989.